
Aspen Ideas to Go
The Aspen Institute



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Top 10 Aspen Ideas to Go Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Aspen Ideas to Go episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Aspen Ideas to Go for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Aspen Ideas to Go episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Thinking, Innovating and A.I. with Walter Isaacson
Aspen Ideas to Go
09/07/23 • 53 min
Artificial intelligence is clearly going to change our lives in multiple ways. But it’s not yet obvious exactly how, and what the impacts will be. We can predict that certain jobs held by humans will probably be taken over by computers, but what about our thoughts? Will we still think and create in the same ways? Author and former Aspen Institute president Walter Isaacson has been writing biographies about big thinkers and innovators for decades, including Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin and Jennifer Doudna. Isaacson returned to the world of technology for his most recent book on Elon Musk. Journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin interviews Isaacson on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival about whether a society fully integrated with AI can foster the same qualities shared by many influential people. Will A.I. augment the best that humans have to offer, or will it compete with or even degrade human intelligence? And are there some traits that technology just will never be able to replicate, like empathy and compassion?



12 Listeners

Unleashing Your Brain’s Potential: Science, Lifestyle and Longevity
Aspen Ideas to Go
06/06/24 • 56 min
People and families suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia often feel desperate for a cure and will try anything. Unfortunately, no cure exists and not a single treatment has been shown to reverse the effects of these brain diseases once they’ve started. Millions of Americans are afflicted by Alzheimer’s and dementia, and dishearteningly, the numbers are growing. But studies show that prevention via simple lifestyle habits is extremely effective, and some simple changes in diet, exercise and sleep practices can reduce the chances of developing brain disease by up to 40 or 50 percent. Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai are a husband-and-wife team of neurologists who co-direct the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University in Southern California. In this talk from the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival, the Sherzais share some of the most hopeful and accessible tips on adopting a healthy lifestyle that can optimize long-term brain health and keep cognitive decline at bay.



5 Listeners

Sir Ken Robinson on Being in Your Element
Aspen Ideas to Go
12/18/24 • 56 min
Sir Ken Robinson believed that as a society, we tragically underestimate and underutilize human ability. We create linear systems for our minds modeled on industry and manufacturing, and we fail to honor the nonlinear imagination and creativity inside all of us. As a speaker and educational advisor, Robinson worked with people all over the world in various sectors and settings on helping them reconnect with their natural inclinations and aptitudes. He advocated for educational reform that treated children as individuals motivated by interests and passions. Robinson unfortunately passed away in 2020, and this episode is from our archives. He gave this timeless talk at the 2010 Aspen Ideas Festival.



4 Listeners

Daring or Reckless? Alex Honnold Explains the Difference
Aspen Ideas to Go
12/17/19 • 67 min
In July of 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to ever free-solo climb the face of Yosemite’s El Capitan. He climbed nearly 3,000 vertical feet alone and without ropes. The historic feat was captured in the Academy Award-winning film, “Free Solo.” He says self-confidence helped him complete the climb. “If you get scared while free-soloing, [your self-confidence] starts to crumble a little bit. You start to not trust your feet...they’re more likely to slip. Everything can spiral negatively.” He speaks with New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens about the line between daring and recklessness, and how the mammoth climb has impacted every part of his life — from relationships to fame and future climbing pursuits.



3 Listeners

A Perfect Storm of Disinformation
Aspen Ideas to Go
09/01/20 • 51 min
Disinformation online is on the minds of voters, candidates, government officials, and technology platforms as the US election gets closer. Already experts have seen disinformation campaigns around the Covid-19 pandemic, which could spell trouble in November, says Laura Rosenberger, director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy. “When you’re sowing doubt about the information the government is providing about the pandemic, you’re sowing doubt in citizens’ faith in their democratic institutions. That primes us to have less faith in the integrity of the election.” She speaks with Renée DiResta, technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, and Cecilia Kang, technology reporter for The New York Times, about how this perfect storm of disinformation is being tackled.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Aspen Institute is nonpartisan and does not endorse, support, or oppose political candidates or parties. Further, the views and opinions of our guests and speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.


3 Listeners

Where Ancient Faiths Meet Modern Lives
Aspen Ideas to Go
09/20/23 • 53 min
The United States is a more secular society than many, and the percentage of people who don’t identify with organized religion is rising. Some of the impacts from that shift might be obvious, such as declining membership in congregations or decreased support for religious organizations and institutions. But some of the consequences are less obvious. How do we change as people when we don’t practice religious ritual? When we aren’t part of a community? Three scholars and leaders from different religious traditions come together on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival to grapple with these questions. They point out how ancient faiths permeate our modern lives even where we don’t notice, and speak about the spiritual gaps religion fills for people and society. Kate Bowler is a podcast host and history professor at Duke Divinity School. Haroon Moghul is an imam and director of The Concordia Forum, a network of Muslim leaders. And Shira Stutman is interim rabbi at the Aspen Jewish Congregation, and the founder of Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington, DC. The executive director of the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, Simran Jeet Singh, moderates the conversation.


2 Listeners

Academia at a Crossroads
Aspen Ideas to Go
08/14/24 • 51 min
The challenges for university presidents keep coming, from Middle East protests to standardized testing and admissions debates, to complaints over classroom content and pedagogical methods. The American public has little faith in college administrators right now, according to polling, and it’s often unclear how institutions can move forward and assuage the critics. Not to mention how to best educate our future leaders and citizens. A panel of wide-ranging experts on college life tackles these issues head on at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, sharing examples from their schools and answering audience questions. Two college presidents, Dr. Sian Beilock of Dartmouth and L. Song Richardson, formerly of Colorado College, bring the perspective of leadership to the conversation. Theo Baker, a Stanford University student and investigative journalist known for exposing falsifications in the former Stanford president’s research, speaks to the student experience at a well-resourced institution. And the CEO of U.S. News and World Report, Eric Gertler, explains how the higher education watchdog publication is observing the landscape. Financial Times editorial board member and columnist, and provost of Kings College, Cambridge University in the UK, Gillian Romaine Tett, moderates the discussion.


2 Listeners

Bringing the Democratic Party Back to the People
Aspen Ideas to Go
09/14/22 • 51 min
Have Democrats become too identified with technocratic ways of speaking — about the economy, the pandemic, climate change? Has this deepened the political divide between those with and those without college degrees? Can Democrats reconnect with working-class voters who were drawn to Donald Trump? A few people inside the Democratic Party, including Colorado senator Michael Bennet, are speaking up to do just that, and figure out how to reorient the party to a compassionate and winning strategy. Harvard political philosophy professor Michael Sandel lays out a similar argument in his recent book “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?” Bennet and Sandel hash out recent history and imagine a new direction — philosophical, social, economic and strategic — for the Democratic Party and the American people.

2 Listeners

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on Streaming, Competition, and What’s Next
Aspen Ideas to Go
12/23/19 • 57 min
In the age of streaming entertainment, there’s Apple, Disney, Comcast, and many others. But it began with Netflix. In 2013 Netflix shifted from a distribution company (remember the mailed DVDs?) to a distribution and content creation business. Some of the company’s first shows were hits like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, describes this transition and how the company has grown since. He tells Derek Thompson, staff writer for The Atlantic, how Netflix is keeping up in an increasingly crowded streaming market, and why a changing entertainment business is a good thing for artists. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.


2 Listeners

Special Announcement
Aspen Ideas to Go
06/14/22 • 1 min
Listen to a programming announcement and learn how you can participate in Aspen Ideas Digital.
aspen ideas.info/info
promo code: AITG


2 Listeners
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FAQ
How many episodes does Aspen Ideas to Go have?
Aspen Ideas to Go currently has 544 episodes available.
What topics does Aspen Ideas to Go cover?
The podcast is about News, Culture, Security, Happiness, Society & Culture, Spirituality, Psychology, Cancer, Democracy, News Commentary, Podcasts, America, Current Events, Technology, Education, Social Sciences, Science, Philosophy, Health, Artificial Intelligence, Politics and Race.
What is the most popular episode on Aspen Ideas to Go?
The episode title 'Thinking, Innovating and A.I. with Walter Isaacson' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Aspen Ideas to Go?
The average episode length on Aspen Ideas to Go is 50 minutes.
How often are episodes of Aspen Ideas to Go released?
Episodes of Aspen Ideas to Go are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of Aspen Ideas to Go?
The first episode of Aspen Ideas to Go was released on Feb 4, 2015.
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